ESPN revealend its 2009 Ultimate Franchise Rankings, where they rank franchises from the big 4 sports.  (Wonder when they might start adding MLS to the list?)  Anyway, since I can’t speak to any other sport with any kind of credibility,  I have sorted by league and here is the MLB list. The criteria is as follows:

Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.

Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.

Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.

Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.

Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.

Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.

Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

Can you guess who ranks the lowest, using the above criteria? The Yankees.  Why so low?  Well, bang for the buck, affodability and fan relations drag them way down, and its hard to argue with any of those areas if you have spent time around the Yankees.  One thing is for sure, if George Steinbrenner were still in charge, this would not sit well with him. I wonder if this Yankee ownership team will even notice.  Here is a link to the Yankees write-up.

So who is the best?  Well, not only are the Angels the best MLB team, they are taking top honors of any sports franchise- and from my limited experience there I can’t argue.  The stadium is a good mix of modern amenities without being overpriced or over the marketed.  The fans are passionate, and even in spring training the team makes every effort to give the fans access to the players.  Oh, and yes, they are also pretty darn good year after year.

So while we are talking about all this fan-friendly stuff, I want to remind you about the Fan-Friendly Awards.  The LoveMyTeam Fan Friendly Seal of Approval recognizes the 5 MLB players that have shown generosity of spirit towards baseball fans everywhere, and have recognized the fans importance to the game.  If you have witnesseed a player showing his understanding that fans are a part of the game why don’t you vote right now!